The first rays of dawn filtered into the room through the thin curtains, and tiny dust motes danced in the light beams, as if performing a silent ballet. The air was permeated with a faint herbal scent, a remnant of Jane's medicine brewing from the night before. Though the room was simple, it was meticulously clean. On the wooden table in the corner was a small ceramic bottle with a few freshly picked wildflowers, adding a touch of life to the room.
Birdsong drifted in from outside, waking Joey from his slumber. He frowned slightly, then turned over and opened his sleepy eyes. The sunlight had already warmed the room. He looked around at the familiar wooden bed, the paper cuttings on the wall, and the ceramic pot that Jane had carefully placed on the windowsill, and these everyday details gave him a sense of peace. Although he still couldn't recall his past, this small room seemed to be the only haven for his wandering soul after his amnesia.
Joey slowly sat up, resting his hands on his knees. After pondering for a moment, he stood up and walked to the old copper-framed mirror by the bed. The mirror reflected a young and handsome face with sword-like eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and slightly pale skin that did not hide his natural nobility. However, as he stared at his reflection, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The arrogance and coldness that had once been in his eyes were gone, replaced by confusion and a faint, almost imperceptible, loneliness.
"Tomo, wake up! We need to go to the pier early to get our goods today!" Jane's clear voice came from outside the door, full of vitality, pulling his thoughts back to reality. Joey paused, and then responded softly, "Coming, I'll be right there."
He changed into the cotton clothes that Jane had prepared for him. They were made of soft fabric, very comfortable to wear, but also very simple. He stood in front of the wardrobe, opened the door, and saw several lavish garments neatly hung inside, the clothes he had been wearing when Jane had first rescued him. The silk fabrics and exquisite tailoring of each item exuded a strong sense of luxury, completely out of place with his current life.
"These things… don't belong to the me that I am now." He murmured softly, gently closing the wardrobe door. At that moment, he seemed to feel a sense of rejection for his past life, yet also mixed with an indescribable curiosity and melancholy.
With Jane's care, Joey's body gradually recovered. He was no longer as weak as he had been at first, nor did he panic every day. He knew that the small town where he now lived was called Sunset Town, a quiet town located at the intersection of three provinces, built along the river. Whenever the sun set, the river would be dyed with a magnificent glow, perhaps because of this that the place was named "Sunset," meaning sunset glow.
Joey had also heard Jane mention that the closest large city was Cloud City, a bustling metropolis where countless young people with dreams came from here to seek their fortune, trying to find their own place in the world. When he heard these descriptions, he would sometimes feel that his past seemed to be related to such a place, but he could never recall any specific details.
He walked out of the room, and Jane had already prepared breakfast. She placed a bowl of steaming porridge and a dish of pickles on the table.
Joey frowned slightly as he looked at the simple breakfast before him. Although he had never been picky about food before, he found the light porridge and side dishes difficult to swallow.
When Jane saw his expression, she chuckled softly, "What's the matter? Doesn't it suit your taste? Our conditions in the countryside are limited, so please make do with what there is."
Hearing Jane's words, Joey felt a little ashamed. He knew that Jane had done her best to take care of him. He picked up the spoon and started to silently drink the porridge.
"Tomo, you look much better today. I believe you'll be able to remember your past soon," Jane said as she looked at Joey, her tone encouraging.
"Yeah, hopefully," Joey said softly. He knew that Jane was always comforting him, but the confusion and fear in his heart had not diminished.
"Even if you can't remember, it doesn't matter. Our town is so great, life is peaceful and comfortable, we can sell flowers together, and live together, it would be great," Jane continued to guide him, seeming worried that he would be discouraged because of his amnesia.
"Maybe," Joey replied perfunctorily, but in his heart he began to think about his plans for the future. He knew that he couldn't continue like this, at least he had to learn to live independently. He was a man, and could not always rely on Jane.
After finishing breakfast, Jane began to clear the table. Joey also wanted to help, but he found himself clumsy. He would either drop the plates or spill water on the floor, only causing Jane more trouble.
"Let me do it, you just sit and rest," Jane said helplessly, telling Joey to sit aside while she silently cleared the table.
Joey felt a pang of guilt. He wanted to adapt to life here as soon as possible, but he found that he didn't seem to be good at anything. He had never done any housework before, and for him, doing these things was more difficult than managing a company.
"Today, we'll go to the flower market to get our goods and then set up our stall in town," Jane said to Joey after clearing the table.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Joey quickly stood up. He decided to go out with Jane to see if he could find any clues about his identity.
The pier was bustling with activity. Fishermen were unloading their catch, and the smell of all kinds of seafood was mixed with the shouts of vendors, creating a unique scene of the marketplace.
Joey looked at everything in front of him, his heart feeling confused. He felt both unfamiliar and curious about these scenes filled with life. It felt like he was in a world cut off from everything else.
Jane skillfully haggled with the flower vendors, communicating with them in the local dialect, her words full of warmth. She quickly selected some fresh flowers, put them in a bamboo basket, and prepared to take them back to town to sell.
While buying flowers, Joey also did what he could. Seeing Jane about to pick up a basket of flowers, he instinctively reached out to take it, but found that he knew nothing about carrying heavy objects. The basket was too heavy, and he almost fell over as he fumbled with it.
"Oh, be careful, don't drop yourself too!" Jane said playfully.
Joey scratched his head embarrassedly, "I… I might be a bit clumsy."
"It's okay, just take your time," Jane said with a smile, while she picked up the pole she was used to using and put both baskets of flowers on her shoulders.
Joey watched Jane carrying the heavy baskets of flowers, her figure looking a little thin, and vaguely remembered that when he was working overtime at the company, he was also often bearing the pressure alone. He couldn't help but feel a trace of respect for Jane.
When they arrived at the town market, Joey looked at the various small shops lining the road and asked curiously, "Are these things very expensive?"
Jane looked at the handicraft shop that Joey was pointing at, and smiled, "It's okay, some things are quite expensive, but most are fine, they are just things we need for our daily lives, there's no need to buy anything too expensive."
Joey touched his pocket and found that it was empty. He suddenly remembered that he was penniless, and that life in the future might be even more difficult. He thought to himself, "The me from the past must have never worried about money, is this the time I'm finally going to experience the importance of money?" Thinking this, he felt a bit embarrassed and asked, "How much money can we make selling flowers in a day?"
Jane answered as she walked, "It's not certain. If we sell well, we can earn a few tens of yuan. If we don't sell well, we might only make enough for today's food."
When Joey heard Jane's words, his heart skipped a beat. A few tens of yuan, for Joey's previous life, might not even be enough for a tip for a meal, but now he had to rely on a few tens of yuan to live.
When they passed a steamed bun stall, the scent of meat from the buns made him swallow his saliva. The breakfast he had had was too simple, and he wanted to buy a few to fill his stomach, but he was pulled back by Jane next to him.
"Don't waste money, we still have the leftover porridge from yesterday at home. Do you want to eat steamed buns? In a few days, we can go to the town's morning market together, buy some meat, and make them ourselves."
After hearing Jane's words, Joey was about to refute her, saying that buying a few buns wouldn't cost that much. But then he thought of something, and didn't say anything. It seemed that he had developed the bad habit of spending money lavishly in the past, and he had to change that.
When the two of them arrived at the place where Jane often set up her stall, Steel, who also had a stall there, greeted them warmly when he saw Jane's arrival. Joey learned from Jane that after he had fainted, it was Steel who had helped bring him back to Jane's house, and he was very grateful to Steel. After they greeted each other, Steel left to take care of his own business.
Jane skillfully arranged the flowers on the stall and then began to call out to attract customers.
"Come and see, come and see! Fresh flowers, cheap and beautiful!" Jane's loud voice echoed through the pier.
She tried her best to attract customers, and soon her stall was surrounded by people.
Joey looked at Jane's busy figure, his heart filled with gratitude. He knew that he was now alone and helpless, and if it were not for Jane's shelter and care, he might have already died in the wilderness.
From Jane, he saw the things that he had been missing, a passion for life, and an appreciation for the ordinary. And these were things that he had never possessed before.
He picked up a red rose and carefully examined it. His fingertips gently caressed the petals, feeling their delicate texture.
He realized that he had never paid attention to these small details in life before.
He watched Jane busy in front of him, and although she was working hard, she always had a smile on her face.
"Perhaps, this kind of life isn't bad," Joey murmured to himself in his heart.
He began to follow Jane's example, promoting flowers to the passersby. His clumsy movements instead attracted the curiosity of some people. They found this big boy to be a bit simple and adorable.
He watched Jane haggle with customers, and he felt that life in this small town, though simple, was filled with warmth, and perhaps living here was also a good choice.